


Connor Temple's Karaoke Countdown

by quoththewriter



Category: Primeval
Genre: F/M, Gen, M/M, karaoke night, musicial shennanigans, silliness, team!fluff, the bee gees
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-18
Updated: 2012-02-18
Packaged: 2017-10-31 09:08:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/342324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quoththewriter/pseuds/quoththewriter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Connor decides that sometimes, you just need to unwind. And he knows exactly how to do it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Connor Temple's Karaoke Countdown

It had to be perfect. Connor grinned to himself as he connected the final plug and winced when an ear-splitting screech echoed from the speakers behind him. He fumbled with the microphone in his hand and hastily flicked off the switch, thankfully silencing the sound.

Connor breathed a sigh of relief and turned back to the speakers.

“That was quite the racquet.”

Connor jumped backwards, dropping the mic and ducking clumsily to retrieve it, feeling foolish.

“Philip!" he said in surprise, glancing around as though trying to make sense of where his boss had suddenly appeared from. Maybe he apparated, Connor thought. Out loud he said, “Blimey! Give us a little warning next time, yeah?”

“Sorry about that, Connor. It certainly wasn’t my intention to frighten you.” Burton smiled and knelt by the speaker system, pulling at some of the wires and reconnecting them. After a moment, he stood up. “There, try it now.”

Connor blinked as Philip took the mic from him, switching the volume on and he quickly ducked his head, covering his ears with gloved hands. He thought about dropping to the floor but that was probably over-doing it.

Connor waited for the ear-splitting screech of the microphone to blare through the room again but nothing happened. He was met with silence, and Philip’s smiled lifted slightly as he handed the microphone back, tapping the top as he handed it over. The thud of his fingers echoed over the speaker just as they should, no interference, no static, no permanent hearing loss.

He grinned.

“Cool, you fixed it!” Seeing Philip’s brow furrow slightly, he amended. “I mean, of course you fixed it, you being Philip Burton and everything! I just meant that...I mean I could’ve...I was gonna fix it, honest.”

Again he was rewarded with a tight-lipped smile and Philip touched his shoulder for the briefest of seconds. “Nothing to worry about, Connor. We are all entitled to have technical difficulties every now and again; even geniuses like you.” Connor felt himself flush with pride. Genius?

“Now, I’ve got work to be getting back to. Do enjoy your karaoke night.”

Philip dropped his hand and moved away and Connor called a belated thanks after his retreating back.

Once Philip was gone he turned back to the speakers and eyed them warily. They seemed to stare back at him, tauntingly, and Connor puffed out his cheeks, blowing out a stream of frustrated air.

“You think you’re so smart, don’tcha?”

The speakers didn’t answer back.

Connor sighed and shoved past the makeshift curtain and onto the stage, muttering under his breath.

His spirits lifted again as he walked onto the stage.

Right now the room was empty, but soon, he hoped, it would be full of people. He had proposed the idea of a Karaoke Night to Lester ages ago and only just recently managed to get the green light. He suspected Jess had a hand in twisting Lester’s arm on the matter, but he didn’t need to know about the details. He was just excited that it was finally here. He had sent out notices to all the staff in the beginning of the week and everyone had been nattering on about it. Each time someone bought up the event in passing, Connor couldn’t help but grin.

Now it was Friday and in just a few hours time he would be opening the stage for any brave souls willing to let go of a little pride and sing their hearts out to a room full of their colleagues. Connor had spent most of the day in a frantic rush; between running errands for Burton and working on setting up the performance area, he just hoped his hard work would pay off.

He had kept his mind occupied by running through scenarios in his head, placing bets on who would sing and who would chicken out.

Of their group he figured Abby might give it a go. Jess as well. Matt probably wouldn’t, though the man had surprised them before.

Becker was out of the question.

Connor had been dropping not so subtle hints and outright asking the team all week who would be attending and performing tonight, but he hadn’t even dared to ask the soldier. It probably had something to do with the nuclear glare Becker had given him any time he so much as mentioned the words “karaoke” or “singing” in the same sentence. The one time he’d opened his mouth and inserted his foot, Becker had made him stay behind and he missed out on an easy anomaly and an awesome newly-named braciosaur.

All he had done was make one passing comment; muttering something along the lines of “Wow, someone’s had a bad experience.” which really, wasn’t all that incriminating or insulting. He had bad experiences with Charades, but that didn’t mean he glared and moped about it. (Okay, okay, so there might have been that one itty bitty comment that maybe Becker’s singing was so bad his date ran out on him, but he hadn’t meant to say it out loud, honest! It just sort of...fell out of his mouth and into the air without consulting his brain first.)

Connor turned around in a circle, glancing about the room as he did so, and smiled.

Everything was ready.

 

The room was bustling with people. The tables they had seconded from the break room and from storage were full of people, and others stood about the room, drinks in hand, eyes on the stage. Connor glanced out at the assembled crowd and took a deep breath, tapping the head of the microphone to get everyone's attention. 

"Uh, hey everyone! Thanks for showing up! I didn't think we'd get so many people, uhm," he fidgeted with the microphone and scratched nervously at his cheek. "Quite the crowd, huh? Well I guess we should get started then, hey? Who wants to be the first brave contestant to face Connor Temple's Karaoke Countdown? Heh. That was pretty smooth, actually." Connor flushed when he realised he'd said the last bit out loud and he cleared his throat as he stared into the wall of blank faces before him.

"....What'd you call a blind Majungatholos?"

Silence.

"D'yathinkhesaurus?"

A few people groaned. Connor fought the urge to bury his head in his hands and shifted nervously from foot to foot.

"I've got plenty more where that came from. I'll keep going until someone steps- ah. Abby?" 

Abby stood up and sighed, holding out her hand for the mic. "I'll go, Connor."

Connor grinned. "I could kiss you, Abs."

She pressed a kiss to his cheek as they switched places. "Maybe later."

 

Abby sung something upbeat and poppy that ultimately suited her and the whole room applauded when she finished. Connor merely sat in her seat at the table and stared up at her, somehow unsurprised to learn she was even more perfect than he’d thought. And when she ducked her head and smiled almost shyly, her eyes on his, Connor was reminded once again just how lucky he was to have her.

Jess was up next, her usual bubbly self with just a hint of shyness as she took the microphone from Abby. She sung in a quiet soprano and no one missed the way her eyes kept straying to Becker (except Becker himself, who sat at one of the back-tables, the furthest from the mic, glaring at the table top). When she finished, one of Becker’s men whistled, long and loud and she curtsied, hurrying off the stage in flurry of clicking heels; blushing a bright tomato red but looking ultimately pleased.

A couple of Becker’s men took the floor and the one who had whistled grinned while serenading a still-blushing Jess.

Next, one of Lester’s secretaries, Iris Connor thought her name was, wowed the crowd with an edgy popular ballad that was the last thing anyone expected from her usual proper demeanor.

Matt politely declined the offer of the mic and Connor moved on to the next table as some of the lads broke out the second round of beers. Becker was still sulking in the corner and Connor managed to skillfully avoid that table with the help of Matt, who nodded as he passed with two bottles of beer in one hand.

The night carried on and the mic went around the room, passing from hand to hand as more people joined in on the festivities after watching their colleagues make fools of themselves. The second round of karaoke included Abby dragging a tipsy Jess up for a duet and one of the techies who unleashed his secret desire to be a rock star on the gathered crowd, which afterward agreed wholeheartedly that his career in science was a wise one.

“Wouldn’t quit my day job if I were you, mate,” Connor joked and the assembled crowd laughed.

The evening started winding down as the third and fourth round of drinks made their rounds and Connor surveyed his audience, looking for anyone who hadn’t had a go from those not yet passed out on the tables with their heads cradled in their arms. Various soldiers and scientists alike had either turned their attention away from the stage and whole-heartedly to their drinks or were busy sleeping off the entertainment.

Jess was dozing in her seat, her head pillowed on the shoulder of the soldier who had sung to her earlier. Connor gave him a nod and a thumbs up and the lad smiled back.

Over all, everyone looked content and successfully unwound and Connor grinned, feeling a sense of satisfaction settle on him.

He took the mic back up to the front of the room and stood before the assembled crowd, tapping his fingers onto the microphone to get their attention. Abby caught his eyes and he grinned back when she smiled at him.

“All right, folks, looks like we had fun tonight,” He was met with an enthusiastic response. “Maybe we should ask Lester to make this a weekly event, eh? We could-”

A sudden clatter cut his words short and the twenty some odd people sober enough to pay attention all turned in the direction of the noise. It came from the furthest corner of the room, where a bristling, slightly drunken Becker shoved himself to his feet.

“Not yet!” He said loudly and everyone tittered at the slight slur in the soldier’s words. Connor just blinked. “We’re not done yet.”

“Uh, Becker, are you-” Connor cut off with a (very manly and dignified) squeak because Becker started to stalk in his direction and Connor had become very fond of his life, thank you very much.

“Uhm,” he said nervously as Becker approached him, swaying just a bit as he reached out to snatch the microphone from Connor’s numb fingers.

“Oh,” Connor said, quickly relinquishing the mic before Becker ripped it out his hands. And then his face lit up in understanding when he realised what Becker was doing and Connor grinned widely, nervousness replaced with amusement.

“So you wanna sing after all, eh? I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist th-”

“I know your eyes in the morning sun, I feel you touch me in the pouring rain,” The words echoed over the room and Connor blinked.

“Come again?”

But Becker had already moved back to the floor, mic in hand, manuveoring through the maze of tables with more grace than Connor expected from someone so inebriated.

The room watched, transfixed, as Becker sauntered over to one of the tables, crooning in a drunken baritone.

“And you come to me on a summer breeze, keep me warm in your love then softly leave,”

Becker strutted around the table, still singing into the microphone.

“And it's me you need to showww,” He leaned over the back of one of the chairs and murmured into one of the scientist’s ears before dropping unabashedly into Matt’s lap.

Connor choked on a breath as he watched Matt’s face fall slack with shock, green eyes going wide. Becker ran a hand provacatively up the front of Matt’s shirt and belted out the chorus to “How Deep Is Your Love?” as Matt sat there, stunned and silent and turning a brilliant shade of cherry red.

“Uh, hullo, Becker-” Matt stammered hoarsely, once Becker stopped singing. Connor grinned at the flush of embarrassment on his face when Becker leaned forward and sang drunkenly into his ear, the mic allowing everyone in the room to hear him.

“ _How deep is your love? I really mean to learn_ -” Becker continued singing, his free hand creeping up to cradle Matt’s head, and the stunned bloke just stared at the soldier singing two inches from his face.

“ _‘Cos we’re living in a world of fools, breaking us down when they all should let us be._ ”

“That’s really sweet and all, Becker, but I really think that’s the alcohol talking, mate.” Matt stammered through the words as Becker dropped the mic so his hands were free to wander over every inch of Matt they could reach. Matt flailed helplessly and looked around the room but everyone simply sat watching the display, too amused to offer any assistance.

A few heads turned away, discreetly going back to their own non-conversations as Becker’s hands curled into the collar of Matt’s shirt.

“Becker-”

“I mean it, y’know,” Becker slurred. “You- _We-We belong to you and me._ ”

Matt sighed and placed his hands on Becker’s shoulders to try and still him but the soldier was undeterred and leaned in until his forehead was pressed to Matt’s temple, mouth inches from his ear.

“I believe in you,” he murmured softly. “You know the door to my very soul, you're the light in my deepest, darkest hour; My saviour when I fall.” Becker reached up a hand and stroked Matt’s cheek, a gentle caress, and then stopped, staring intently into Matt’s eyes. His voice lowered, grew softer and there was a hint of something in his voice that Matt was afraid to examine too closely.

“And you may not think I care for you, when you know down inside that I really do.”

Abby nudged Connor with an elbow, surprise on her face when she hissed quietly, “I think he’s serious, Connor!”

“You mean Becker?" Connor’s brow furrowed as he watched them, the soldier very clearly invading Matt’s personal space. “But he’s drunk. I mean, really really plastered. Like, going-to-feel-sooo bad-in-the-morning plastered.”

He turned back to the pair just in time to see Becker lean in close and he didn’t miss the way Matt went rigid as Becker’s hand touched his cheek, didn’t miss the way Matt’s eyes fluttered for the briefest of seconds as Becker inched forward intent on closing the distance between them.

And he suddenly felt like he was intruding on something private; realised that maybe Abby was right, and he turned away, sharing a grin with Abby.

“What’d you know,” he told her, taking her hand. “I'm like...cupid!”

Abby rolled her eyes, smiling fondly as she leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. She tugged gently on his hand. “What’d you say we get going then, Cupid? Jess looks like she’ll be out for the count tonight.”

Connor looked over at Jess still snoring away on the soldier’s shoulder and turned back to Abby with a twinkle in his eyes. They passed Matt on the way to the door, Becker’s face buried in his shoulder and Connor patted him on the back as they walked by.

“You should get him home,” Abby called to him. “He’s going to feel that in the morning.” She grinned. “Tea should help.”

Matt caught the implication in her words and finally pulled his gaze from the sleeping soldier’s face, eyes wide.

“He’s not going to remember any of this in the morning, I can’t just-”

“Sure you can, mate.” Connor interjected, pointing Becker’s sleeping form. “I mean, how else is he gonna get home? You can’t just leave him here. Besides,” Connor grinned. “He seemed pretty into it before. If he wakes up alone, he’ll be crushed. Who’re you to crush a man’s spirit, Matt?”

Abby giggled and quickly covered her mouth. “Connor’s right. Besides, if you saw what we saw, you’d know there’s nothing to worry about. Trust me, Becker’ll thank you.”

Matt raised an eyebrow. “And if he doesn’t?”

Abby shrugged. “Thank him.”

“What for?”

Abby grinned. “Serenading you.”


End file.
